Plastics
PSD Nepal partners with the mountain people of Nepal. Together we are cultivating circular economies for waste and plastic solutions. In our pilot schemes, a 1 PET bottle = 1 NPR incentive scheme is in operation, with tens of thousands of plastic bottles cleared every month. This waste is recycled in Pokhara at Himalayan Plastic & creatively up-cycled for educational purposes, promoting environmental and cultural heritage
Our vision is cultivating circular economies in the Himalayan National Parks of Nepal
Our mission is recycling PET plastic bottles from National Parks & promoting creative up-cycling
Our goal is promoting viable job creation, environmental wellbeing, & sustainable local management
PSD Nepal partners with the mountain people of Nepal. Together we are cultivating circular economies for waste and plastic solutions. In our pilot schemes, a 1 PET bottle = 1 NPR incentive scheme is in operation, with tens of thousands of plastic bottles cleared every month. This waste is recycled in Pokhara at Himalayan Plastic & creatively up-cycled for educational purposes, promoting environmental and cultural heritage
Our vision is cultivating circular economies in the Himalayan National Parks of Nepal
Our mission is recycling PET plastic bottles from National Parks & promoting creative up-cycling
Our goal is promoting viable job creation, environmental wellbeing, & sustainable local management
Langtang National Park - Pilot Site
The Langtang National Park in Rasuwa, Northern Nepal, is the oldest national park of Nepal, founded in 1976, and hosts over 18,000 domestic and international trekkers every year. Langtang is the third most popular national park in Nepal, after Everest (Sagarmartha) and Annapurna (ACAP).
The Langtang Valley is home to 101 trekking lodges, who host over 80 trekkers every day of the season (Sept-Nov, Feb-Apr). Every season, up to 200,000 plastic bottles are consumed - and left - in Langtang. There are an estimated 5 million bottles in the valley from historic treks. This totals more than 125 T of waste. The recycling and up-cycling processes extract value from this waste, create local employment, and promote local reinvestment opportunities.
The Langtang National Park in Rasuwa, Northern Nepal, is the oldest national park of Nepal, founded in 1976, and hosts over 18,000 domestic and international trekkers every year. Langtang is the third most popular national park in Nepal, after Everest (Sagarmartha) and Annapurna (ACAP).
The Langtang Valley is home to 101 trekking lodges, who host over 80 trekkers every day of the season (Sept-Nov, Feb-Apr). Every season, up to 200,000 plastic bottles are consumed - and left - in Langtang. There are an estimated 5 million bottles in the valley from historic treks. This totals more than 125 T of waste. The recycling and up-cycling processes extract value from this waste, create local employment, and promote local reinvestment opportunities.
UIAA Global Award Nomination
PSD Nepal has been nominated for the 2019 UIAA Mountain Protection Award
https://www.theuiaa.org/uiaa/mpa2019-psdnepal/
In the short-term, this accelerator project serves as a joint approach to land both recycling and upcycling schemes in Langtang National Park – across three major trekking valleys (Langtang, Gosaikunda, and Heritage Trail). In the medium term, this creates local employment (>26 local jobs), ecological respect, and environmental-consciousness. In the long term, we hope this will engage a shift in waste mentalities and environmental consciousness across Nepal.
Plastic Recycling (i)
Recycling is currently conducted in parntership with Himalayan Plastic, Pokhara. With over 200 tonnes of plastic bottle (PET) waste annually in the National Parks of Nepal, PSD Nepal is forming partnerships with local communities to promote recycling. In Langtang National Park, CDO, LNP and local elder KGLS (Kyangen Gumpa Langtang Society) partnerships are running the clearing, collection, and recycling logic. Presently, over 40,000 bottles are recycled every month from Langtang (c. 1 tonne PET/month, 12t/yr). Read more at the link about the Himalayan Plastic recycling facility, who operate a PET re-purposing plant in Pokhara. Watch the PSD project in action.
Support this scheme, by getting in touch with us on our connect page
Recycling is currently conducted in parntership with Himalayan Plastic, Pokhara. With over 200 tonnes of plastic bottle (PET) waste annually in the National Parks of Nepal, PSD Nepal is forming partnerships with local communities to promote recycling. In Langtang National Park, CDO, LNP and local elder KGLS (Kyangen Gumpa Langtang Society) partnerships are running the clearing, collection, and recycling logic. Presently, over 40,000 bottles are recycled every month from Langtang (c. 1 tonne PET/month, 12t/yr). Read more at the link about the Himalayan Plastic recycling facility, who operate a PET re-purposing plant in Pokhara. Watch the PSD project in action.
Support this scheme, by getting in touch with us on our connect page
Plastic Upcycling (ii)
Upcycling with PSD Nepal is run in three streams - action architecture, education, and RDF fuel. We have built a Plastic PET Pavilion in Langtang National Park, of 2,447 upcycled plastic bottles, to showcase the plastics issue in the Himalaya. PSD Nepal also runs educational awareness activities for schools and community groups on waste, using upcycled PET plastic bottle caps. Further upcycling is facilitated by a technical team from NAST, headed up by Dr Rabindra Dhakal, with a pyrolysis machine converting plastic waste into RDF (reduced diesel fuel), with 80% efficiency.
Upcycling is defined as the process of transforming by-products & waste materials, useless into new materials or products of better quality or environmental value. See our upcycling page for more
Upcycling with PSD Nepal is run in three streams - action architecture, education, and RDF fuel. We have built a Plastic PET Pavilion in Langtang National Park, of 2,447 upcycled plastic bottles, to showcase the plastics issue in the Himalaya. PSD Nepal also runs educational awareness activities for schools and community groups on waste, using upcycled PET plastic bottle caps. Further upcycling is facilitated by a technical team from NAST, headed up by Dr Rabindra Dhakal, with a pyrolysis machine converting plastic waste into RDF (reduced diesel fuel), with 80% efficiency.
Upcycling is defined as the process of transforming by-products & waste materials, useless into new materials or products of better quality or environmental value. See our upcycling page for more
Rasuwa - rural PET collection
Visit Nepal 2023, Vision Nepal 2025
By the year 2025, 400 tonnes of PET plastic waste will need to be recycled in the National Parks of Nepal. PSD Nepal are aiming to accompany the national Visit Nepal 2022 tourist movement with a Vision Nepal 2025 on recycling and waste re-purposing, to keep the Himalaya clean.
PSD Nepal are designing this project with a strong social enterprise bent. Plastic bottles, tourist waste, and poor recycling facilities currently impinge on the environmental wellbeing of the Himalayan National Parks. PSD works with local partners to provide employment and local involvement in the clearing and recycling logistic. PSD Nepal also sends overseas partners and offers eco projects in the National Parks to support such projects. Get in touch!
The leaders of the long-term work streams are;
- Recycling logistic: Mr S Johns (Geog, Oxford)
- Upcycling technology: Dr R Dhakal (NAST)
- Management: Bishnu H Bhatta (PSD Director, KTM)
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By the year 2025, 400 tonnes of PET plastic waste will need to be recycled in the National Parks of Nepal. PSD Nepal are aiming to accompany the national Visit Nepal 2022 tourist movement with a Vision Nepal 2025 on recycling and waste re-purposing, to keep the Himalaya clean.
PSD Nepal are designing this project with a strong social enterprise bent. Plastic bottles, tourist waste, and poor recycling facilities currently impinge on the environmental wellbeing of the Himalayan National Parks. PSD works with local partners to provide employment and local involvement in the clearing and recycling logistic. PSD Nepal also sends overseas partners and offers eco projects in the National Parks to support such projects. Get in touch!
The leaders of the long-term work streams are;
- Recycling logistic: Mr S Johns (Geog, Oxford)
- Upcycling technology: Dr R Dhakal (NAST)
- Management: Bishnu H Bhatta (PSD Director, KTM)
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PSD Plastics in the news
The Nepali Times featured PSD Plastics in national news, with a spotlight focus on Langtang National Park and the social enterprise work of PSD in creating both local employment and income generation, as well as waste clearing and environmental stewardship.
"Langtang Valley is just beginning to recover from the earthquake three years ago, but another disaster looms large here in the high Himalaya: The Plastic Crisis. As the region rebuilds, tourists are flocking back to this stunningly scenic region, 7-hour drive north of Kathmandu. Every year, about 15,000 trekkers visit the Langtang National Park, using up and leaving behind 200,000 plastic water bottles. A conservative estimate puts the number of discarded bottles in Langtang Valley alone at 5 million."
https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/plastic-money/
Photo Credit: Yuvaraj Shrestha
The Nepali Times featured PSD Plastics in national news, with a spotlight focus on Langtang National Park and the social enterprise work of PSD in creating both local employment and income generation, as well as waste clearing and environmental stewardship.
"Langtang Valley is just beginning to recover from the earthquake three years ago, but another disaster looms large here in the high Himalaya: The Plastic Crisis. As the region rebuilds, tourists are flocking back to this stunningly scenic region, 7-hour drive north of Kathmandu. Every year, about 15,000 trekkers visit the Langtang National Park, using up and leaving behind 200,000 plastic water bottles. A conservative estimate puts the number of discarded bottles in Langtang Valley alone at 5 million."
https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/plastic-money/
Photo Credit: Yuvaraj Shrestha